NASA develops flying car prototype, the Puffin, good for ski industry

Expert meteorologists are predicting the next 10 years will see some of the heaviest snowfall the world has ever seen. What this means for the world in terms of climate change…we can only speculate. However, what it means for the ski industry is hopefully a decade of great skiing.

Given the heavy snowfall in California lately, certain ski resorts have had problems with getting people there due to road closures. Mt. Waterman, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit know what we’re talking about. So, since the next decade may see more of this, we were sitting around the office thinking about the best way to get to the mountains in case of road closures. The answer? NASA’s new Puffin.

The Puffin is a one-man flying machine NASA has developed that may one day contribute to military operations (soldiers would use something like it to fly into combat). For now, it’s the closest thing we have to a flying car. The future is upon us people!

The Puffin is only 12 feet long, weighs 297 pounds (plus another 99 pounds of batteries) and has a wingspan of 13 feet. It should be ready for testing next month. Here’s a video of how they expect it will operate.

Roads are closed due to heavy snowfall? Pshh. No biggie. Hop in your Puffin and float up to the slopes.